The Jackson Bowl with Vegan Comeback Sauce

What makes a dish a local specialty? I’ve spent a lot of time mulling over that question since I returned home from a hectic, nerve-wracking (to this introvert), and ultimately exhilarating trip to Portland and Vida Vegan Con last week. (Big confession: I took almost no photos. See the end of this post for links to some people who did.)

My daughter E and I spent five solid days eating in incredible vegan restaurants that ranged from fast-food (Buffalo wings and All Hail Kale at Veggie Grill) to gourmet (gnocchi and beet tartare at Portobello Vegan Trattoria), but by the end it was a simple bowl of quinoa, kale, tempeh, and sauce–Canteen’s Portland Bowl–that made the biggest impression on me. I’m still not sure whether it was the quality of the tempeh or the way it was prepared, but it was the best I’d ever had–flavorful, tender, and lacking that sharp, bitter taste that tempeh can have. I was left wondering what made this delicious bowl of food specific to Portland, and if I were to make a bowl based on my adopted hometown, Jackson, Mississippi, what would it contain? So I came home with a mission–to make The Jackson Bowl.

You know how when you move to a new area, there are things the locals know–shared history, customs, local dishes–that are entirely new to you, but which they expect you to know (and often won’t bother explaining to you)? When I moved to Jackson, I was thrown into a world of confusion when I’d ask about the salad dressing in a restaurant and be told “Comeback Sauce.” No one could quite explain to me what it was, and it took an internet search to tell me that it’s a mayonnaise and ketchup-based sauce similar to a spicy Thousand Island dressing or a remoulade sauce. Since it obviously wasn’t vegan, I never sampled it in the local restaurants, but online recipes gave me a pretty good idea of what it would taste like. I knew that the sauce in my Jackson Bowl would have to be vegan Comeback Sauce.

Making a vegan Comeback Sauce could be so easy: Just mix a cup of vegan mayo with quarter cups of ketchup and Heinz chili sauce and add some seasonings. But that’s too many processed ingredients for my taste, so I went back to basics on everything, substituting silken tofu and cashews for the mayo and tomato puree and seasonings for the ketchup/chili sauce. And whether or not it tastes like non-vegan comeback sauce, this recipe is a keeper if you like spicy as much as I do. Before you even get to the kick of the red pepper and mustard, the raw onion and garlic give it a real bite. In Jackson it’s served with seafood or as a salad dressing, but you can dip your falafel, “crab” cakes, or sweet potato fries in it or spread it on sandwiches. Or make The Jackson Bowl!

Vegan Comeback Sauce or Dressing

This spicy sauce is the epitome of versatile. Use it on sandwiches, as a dipping sauce for oven fries or falafel, or as a salad dressing. If you’re not a spicy lover, try it first without the cayenne pepper (the other ingredients make it naturally spicy) and add the red pepper to taste.

If there’s such a thing as Jackson cuisine, I think it would have to be a combination of country home cooking and soul food–field peas, greens, barbecue, and corn bread–heavily influenced by New Orleans’ Creole and Cajun dishes. You’ll find gumbos and red beans and rice on a lot of local menus, though they are never vegan. I chose red beans and rice for my Jackson bowl because it’s one of the few local specialties that can easily be made vegan. And I topped it with sweet potato “croutons” in honor of the Sweet Potato Queens series of books and parade, another local tradition that I learned about only after moving here but which, like Comeback Sauce, gives this area its own spicy, quirky flavor.

The Jackson Bowl

Start with already-prepared red beans or season them simply as directed in the first step below.

Instructions

Red Beans: Start with already-prepared Easy Red Beans or season your own red beans by sauteing 1 diced onion, 2 chopped ribs of celery, 1/2 diced bell pepper, and 3-4 cloves minced garlic until onion is softened. Add the cooked beans, a little water, and 1 to 2 teaspoons (or more to taste) of Cajun or Creole seasoning. Simmer for at least 20 minutes to allow flavors to combine.

Sweet Potato Croutons: Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine maple syrup, soy sauce, and smoked salt in a large bowl. Add diced sweet potato and toss to coat. Spread on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Bake for about 20 minutes or until tender and just beginning to brown, stirring once.

Kale or Other Greens: Steam until tender. Or, in a large covered wok or deep skillet, sauté a small, sliced onion until translucent and add a couple cloves garlic, kale, and about 1/4 cup water. Cover and steam, stirring once or twice, until the kale is tender, about 4 minutes.

Build a Bowl: Place 1/2 cup cooked grain on the bottom of each bowl and top with 1/2 cup red beans. Add a healthy layer of greens, some Comeback Sauce, and another 1/4 cup of red beans. Top with sweet potato croutons, more sauce, and a sprinkling of chopped pecans or walnuts. Enjoy!

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This is absolutely inspired!! I laughed out loud with delight to read your local redo of that fabulous Portland bowl! It really was heavenly. What a great idea. . .I guess if I was to make a “Moscow bowl” or a “Palouse Bowl” it would have to have lentils in it. . .hmmmm. But first I may take a detour South and try a version of this Jackson Bowl. Love the sweet potato croutons. Thank you so much–this brings back that fun dinner and puts a whole creative spin to looking back on our wonderful time in Portland!

Maria, having dinner with you, Mike, and Kelly was the cherry on top of the vegan sundae that was VVC. I’m sorry if E and I were so burned out after so much sensory overload that we did little but stuff our faces. I really regret not getting a photo with you! Or with almost anyone else!

It all sounds so good as do nearly all of your creations. Thank you so much for your perk me up blogs. I see recipes calling for golden raisins(which are treated with sulpher dioxide) so I haven’t used them. I just substitute regular raisins but the color is often nasty.

It was wonderful to get to meet you and to be on your panel, Sayward. You did a great job moderating! Also, thank you for mentioning the Portland bowl in your VVC post. It was really what I needed after 4 days of vegan decadence.

Yes, Susan, thanks for incuding my post abotu Portland, too. And Carrie, I am sorry I didn’t put it together to meet you while at Canteen. A friend of mine from the McDougall board, Nicole, recommened your blog to me. I really enjoyed your post about Portland! I look forward to following you more.

As an introvert too I can relate. I feel like I didn’t meet as many folks because I have a hard time initiating conversations and found that I had to get away from the conference now and then due to sensory overload too. Your talk was really great and I took away a lot of great tips from it.

The bowls had an impact on me as well and I have been attempting various little bowls since we got back. I love that you put a hometown spin on yours. The sauce looks terrific and sounds exactly like something I would love!

Ruth, in simple terms, Cajun food is the food of the country and Creole is the food of the city. Creole is the product of several different cultures, including French, African, and Spanish, and tends to use more cream sauces (like remoulade sauce). But when it comes to those Cajun and Creole seasonings in a jar, I don’t think there’s a lot of difference; just use the one that you like best.

Susan!! I love this post so much. I love everything about it! I’ve never heard of Comeback sauce, but what a great name. I also really loved the Portland bowl so much, and it has been on my mind. What a great idea to come up with a Jackson Bowl. I’m going to try your recipe next week! I also want to challenge myself to come up with a Santa Cruz bowl. What will it be???

Not really. Tomato puree is just tomatoes and salt, while tomato sauce has added seasonings. Tomato puree is also a little thicker than tomato sauce. Tomato sauce would probably work in this recipe, but it would add flavors that would make it different than my original. If you don’t have tomato puree and don’t want to buy a can just for this recipe, another option would be to take a can of diced tomatoes, drain off about half of the liquid, and puree it in a blender. Then measure out a half cup to use in this recipe.

Susan, I didn’t get the chance to meet you in Portland while at VVC, but this bowl makes me want to visit Jackson. It’s so interesting the way you capture the flavors of your hometown and describe how they work into a vegan bowl.

Dude. That sauce is insane. I riffed on the beans (northern beans with Tony’s — all I had in the pantry) and sweet potatoes a little (added some red chili), and did pepitas instead of pecans. Of course kept “the precious” (kale). My husband went nuts over it. This one is a KEEPER.

Hi Susan, it was great to finally meet you at VVC. It’s funny that now that we’ve met, as I read your post I could hear it in your voice. It made the recipe sound even better Now I’ll have to make a Dtown (can I still use this sauce or will I have to make my own up?) bowl to try it since I didn’t get to go to Canteen while in Portland. Too many restaurants to try.
P.S. A friend of mine who used to live in Portland told me about this sauce. He calls it yum sauce. He made it for Mauro and I and had us over for dinner. It truly is super yum!

Wow! Amazing. I loosely followed the directions and the end result was amazing! This is some good stuff and very healthy. I didn’t have a lemon and I only had onion powder but it was still off the chain good!

I wasn’t certain what tomato puree was. I have tomato paste, tomato sauce, cans of crushed tomatoes. Is this similar to Pomi tomatoes? I simply used 1-1/2 tomatoes and pureed them in the vitamix? Is this the idea? It may have made the sauce a bit watery (maybe I could have taken the seeds out). Open to suggestions or ideas. Thanks!

This recipe is soooo good! It is the first thing I have made on your website, and I love it! My kids loved it (4 and 1); I made a non spicy version for them. My recently vegetarian husband loved it. I loved how easy it is. It is super filling too. Great recipe. It is going to be a regular in our household. Thank you.

Hi,
The recipes look great on your website! I was looking at the recipes under the ETL 6week plan but noticed they don’t abide by the 6week plan guidelines. Is there a place here that has recipes purely for the 6 week plan?
Thanks,
Michelle

I know you posted this over 2 months ago, but I just HAD to come back (LOL) and leave a comment. ThoughI haven’t made the salad, I am OBSESSED with the sauce. OBSESSED. Since first making it a month ago, not one day has passed without this being in my fridge. I rarely eat tofu, but I’m gearing up to make yet ANOTHER batch of this magnificent sauce. I put it on almost anything and everything, and it instantly makes it that much better. I need to go procure myself some more tomato puree, and as soon as I do, it’s on to the second month of my love affair with your Comeback Sauce. Thanks a million for this creation and your endless sharing.

I made the Comeback Sauce and put everything together for the Jackson Bowl. My kale did not look that great. Then I discovered one of the really good things about Comeback Sauce – it can cover up imperfections very well. It was so good! I had refrigerated the sauce, so the bowl had the contrast of a cool, spicy taste with warm beans and rice and the other textures and flavors from the rest of the toppings.

Wanted to give notice that your blog has not updated in Bloglovin since this post. None of the other ones are visible, or been notified to your subscribers. I happened to find this out by half-accident, missing your posts, I decided to check whether you write this blog anymore. It would be absolutely lovely if you could get that fixed. It is such a convenient way to follow, I saw there are 3,900+ followers that may also be sad about not reading your work!

Thanks and have a beautiful fall! We’re expecting snow here in Scandinavia in two days time!

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